The present invention relates to a bellows seal for a ball and socket joint having improved means for sealing the same against entrance of foreign matter.
Ball and socket joints generally consist of a stud terminating in a ball member disposed in swivelling slidable engagement within a socket member having a concave spherical segment conforming to that of the ball. Ball and socket joints are commonly used in motor vehicle steering tie rod assemblies, in drag links, torque rods and like structures which, in service, are exposed to dust, dirty water splashes, mud and other foreign matter, and the joints are often provided with seals preventing entrance of foreign matter in the assembly. Bellows seals are generally used for preventing entrance of foreign matter between the bearing surfaces at the end of the socket from which a mounting stud projects, the mounting stud being welded to or formed integrally with a ball member having a partially spherical surface in the socket member. The bellows seals are made of flexible material, such as rubberized canvas, thin natural rubber or preferably synthetic rubber, neoprene, urethane and the like, an end of the bellows being disposed in tight engagement with a portion of the peripheral surface of the stud member, and the other end of the bellows being attached to the socket. Adhesive, garter springs, elastic O-rings, circular clamps and other fastening means have been used in the past for attaching bellows seals to socket members, but it has been found that most bellows seals become detached from the socket member during use in the field due to failure of the fastening means, often long before the bellows portion of the seal has deteriorated beyond normal usefulness.